


The Epitome of Beauty

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Dubious Consent, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Multi, Older Man/Younger Woman, Scott has a Twin Sister, literally terrible, my own self-serving bullshit, of fucking course, only sort of ironic, this is garbage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 10:45:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7681300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That shitty self-insert fanfic you've been waiting for. While Scott McCall is dealing with being a werewolf, his twin sister Lynn is dealing with being human. For her that means grades, boys, friends and disturbing visions about a wolf-like beast with glowing red eyes. What can she do when Scott starts hanging out with friends way out of her league, becomes distant, and won't stop lying? Will Lynn lose sight of herself while she watches the battle between her brother and the Alpha, or will she lose touch with everyone close to her, and be left to make decisions that could ruin everything.<br/>(yeah guys. i hate me too)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wolf Moon

**Author's Note:**

> I know I know I know. I'm so ashamed of myself dude. But I wrote this shitty story when I was in middle school and it was my first finished work. So...here it is, remastered. Pls be gentle.

Lynn couldn’t sleep. 

It could have been because she started her Sophomore year of high school tomorrow, but she knew it wasn’t. A much sounder theory could be the commotion her brother was making in the room next to hers. Scott had been doing this stupid workout routine since the beginning of summer, and while she had to admit that he was pretty loyal to it, she could live without the thumping and the banging.

She was only glad that mom was working a late shift at the hospital. That woman could be  _ cranky  _ when she didn’t get enough sleep. 

Huffing, Lynn sat up in bed, ready to go threaten Scott into silence, but a confusion of voices and a shout stopped her in her tracks. For a moment, Lynn shot through with fear, assuming the worst, like maybe there was a break-in, but then she heard a familiar, if irritating voice drift through her window.

Stiles. She heaved another put-upon sigh and trudged back to bed, hoping her brother’s best friend might be there to lead him into trouble and give her some peace and quiet for a change. She fell back onto her bed, trying to quell any nervous feelings about tomorrow

Fortunately, the sudden silence- she  _ knew  _ Stiles would only show up to get her brother into trouble- helped her along to sleep, and in no time, with thoughts of tests and homework and the overwhelming pressure to fit in- a feeling  _ all  _ teenagers felt,  _ right _ ?- solidly set away in favor of excitement, Lynn was drifting off.

________________________________________________________________

_ But any hope of rest escaped when she began dreaming. A sense of dread uncurled in her stomach as a seen filled with blood was laid out before her, part of  a body, torn in half on the ground, flashing police lights alternately sending a pair of bare, bloody legs from darkness into light and pack again. She wanted to be sick.  _

_ She wasn’t sick, but she did get to leave the scene behind in favor of racing off into the forest around her, familiar forest, forest she’d definitely seen before. The way she moved didn’t seem right. She wasn’t walking, or running, but she seemed to be flying, dodging trees and branches and travelling faster than humanly possible. And then, suddenly, she wasn’t alone. _

_ There was Scott, the shock of seeing her brother overwhelmed when she sensed his fear, like a knife to the gut. Lynn gasped when she saw the source of the feeling, eyes falling on the missing half. She felt like gagging once more, seeing the lifeless eyes of some stranger young woman, missing her legs. For a moment she waited for the woman to burst away and attack- that would be familiar, as zombies were a frequent nightmare of her’s- but instead it lay, unmoving.  _

_ Suddenly Scott was falling, stumbling and rolling down a steep hill, away from the body and away from the heavy, dead smell of it. She was happy to move once more, as she’d been unable to control her own movements so far. It seemed Scott was the focus of this dream. But her relief only lasted a moment, the dread returning all too quickly. As he scrambled up, a presence suddenly descended over the woods around them.  _

_ This was bad, they were in danger, and Lynn tried to call out to her twin brother, to warn him, to make him run as fast as he could, out of these woods and back home, where he would be safe, A growl cut the air, but no words made it past her lips. Suddenly, she turned to the source of the sound, as saw… _

_ She didn’t know what she saw, but suddenly it was on them, bursting towards her brother without a thought, and she was screaming, screaming so loudly and so clearly that she was sure he’d hear her. _

_ But he didn’t, because even as she watched the being latch onto her brother with huge, shining teeth, she was waking up, being yanked from this nightmare by the lungs. _

____________________________________________________________

She woke up gasping, tears running down her cheeks, with only a few jolting, breathless flashes telling her what had left her in such a state. She glanced down at herself, expected to see dirt on her clothing, leaves in her hair, something to indicate where she most have been last night. But there was nothing, and suddenly she realized it had just been a dream, and she was being ridiculous. If Scott had been attacked by some sort of animal, he would have woken her up, or her mother would have gotten a call from the hospital or something.

Shuddering, Lynn climbed out of bed, trying to steady her knees. Today was the first day of school, and she couldn’t spend all morning moping about wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

Dressing quickly so that she could grab something to eat before she needed to catch the bus, Lynn took the steps two at a time coming down. She would have requested a ride from Stiles, but Scott was nowhere to be found, and she assumed that they’d already left, that or Scott was on his bike either way, she mustered up enough energy to be mad about it for about thirty seconds, and then she let it go. Skidding into the kitchen, she poured herself a bowl of cereal. 

She finished just as the bus was pulling onto the streets, shoving the bowl into the sink and grabbing her backpack before she burst out her door and hoofed it to the bus stop. A cursory glance told her that most of the kids her age weren’t there. It made sense, most of them could probably drive themselves to school, or had a friend who could.

Luckily, the ride was short, and she made it to her locker just as the bell was ringing it’s ten minute warning. She’d gotten her schedule a few days ago, at the time causing her some degree of annoyance when she discovered that she had half of her classes with Scott, so she knew she had Lit first. Grimacing, she stuffed her bag into the locker and trotted down the hallway to room 210.

 

Lynn glanced around herself as she walked, taking in the familiar faces, faces of people she hadn’t spoken to all summer. She was keeping a lookout for Erica and Ellie, wanting to get back into the swing of things with her two best friends, but she didn’t spot either of them until she reached her lit room. Erica was seated in the back row, looking a little miserable. She hurried over, hovering in the seat next to her friend.

“Hey stranger!” she greeted amicably, offering the other girl a friendly smile. Erica glanced up, bushy blonde hair parting to reveal her pale face. 

“Lynn!” she exclaimed, looking like she smile she gave hurt. “Sorry about-” she began, but Lynn waved it away.

“I got it dude. You don’t have to apologize. I mean, a “medical vacation” for three months  _ does  _ sound fake, but if I know anything about your mom, it was probably incredibly, painfully real,” she joked.

Erica tried for another smile. “It was just some quack who claimed he could cure my seizures. Couldn’t, but we did get to stay there for free.”

Lynn grinned, “Well, there’s your upside!”

As they were talking, Stiles and her brother strolled in, joking and shoving each other animatedly. Sending Erica a look, Lynn hopped two seats over to talk to them. Erica didn’t move, as always, paralyzed by fear at the very sight of boys who were older than ten and not her father.

“Hey, Scotty, where’d you go last night?” Lynn asked. Her mind dredged up visions of a legless body, of a mass of filthy fur, but she ignored them, swallowing hard.

“Why?” Scott asked, paling.

“I’m not gonna tell mom. I was just wondering.”

Stiles and Scott looked at eacher for only a moment when scott shrugged. “We went body hunting. I got caught and Scott lost his inhaler. We also didn’t find a body!”

“Sounds like a real success, then,” she said, raising a single brow at the two of them.

“I’m definitely counting it as one,” Stiles replied easily enough. But they looked...uneasy. She was suddenly struck with the irrational thought that perhaps her dream last night hadn’t been a dream, that it had really happened. But she brushed it away easily. 

Before she could get another word in, however, Mr. Curtis walked in, asking everyone to get seated. Lynn travelled back over to Erica in the back row.

Mr. Curtis stepped up to the blackboard and began writing immediately. “As you all know,” he began, not bothering to look at them. “there indeed was a body found in the woods last night.”

Lynn, settling into her desk, glanced at her brother and Stiles, but flicked her eyes away before they could see her looking. 

Mr. Curtis continued, voice heavy with sarcasm, “I am sure your eager little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios as to what happened. But I am here to tell you that the police have a suspect in custody, which means you can give your undivided attentions to the syllabus which is on your desk outlining this semester.”

Lynn gather the paper, a packet, really, into her hands, skimming the words rather quickly. A lot of what they were going to read had been on the summer reading list, so she wasn’t too concerned. She found her attention drifting, turning towards last night even as every part of her tried to avoid the subject.

A blessed interruption came in the form of Vice Principal Orelle guiding a new girl into the classroom. “Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do you best to make her feel welcome.” 

She was pretty, with long dark hair, but no one really paid her much attention besides a few lingering looks. She hurried into the only empty seat, the one right behind Scott, and Lynn didn’t bother keeping her eyes on her. 

“We’ll begin with Kafka’s Metamorphosis, on page 133,” Mr. Curtis announced.

Lynn had already read it, and the second time around wasn’t any less depressing. 

________________________________________________________________

Scott, Lynn and Stiles all walked the short distance to their lockers together, more out of convenience than anything else. They were all clustered together anyway, coming from the same class. Erica and she had split three periods ago, meeting up briefly for lunch. But now, at the end of the day, she was with her brother and Stiles. 

“Are you coming to watch our practice?” Scott asked. 

She thought about it for a minute- she liked watching the practices, but mom had wanted her to head over to the hospital to do some volunteer work this week. She didn’t want to blow the hospital off but…

“Yeah, if I can get a ride home afterwards.”

Stiles nodded absentmindedly. They were finishing up at the lockers when Harley sidled up. She was in a couple of classes with the three of them, had known them since kindergarten, and seemed to have noticed Scott staring at the new girl, Alison. I wasn’t surprised to see his gaze trained on her. I nudged Stiles, who smirked at Scott’s lovestruck expression. I turned to look at the girl in question.

Lydia Martin and Jackson Whittemore, hanging all over each other, as always, were talking with her, looking like a trio of popularity gods.

“Can  _ someone  _ tell me how new girl is here all of five minutes and she’s already hanging out with Lydia’s clique?” Harley asked, rolling her eyes at the sight. 

“Because she’s hot,” Stiles answered simply. I sent him a filthy look, which h patently ignored to continue with his explanation, ‘Beautiful people herd together.”

“Don’t even get me started!” Harley began, but Stiles looked ready to do just that.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“First off, if you think the only thing those people have in common is looks, you’re an idiot. Scott and Lynn are plenty pretty-”

“What?’ Lynn exclaimed. “ _ Harley- _ ”

“Oh, shut up, you’re plenty pretty, and yet, Lydia Martin isn’t falling all over herself to be friends with  _ them _ .”

“Scott’s a severe asthmatic who can’t run two feet without  _ dying _ !” 

“Which is only one thing that puts him out of the running,” Harley said. “The other thing is money.”

“You don’t know she has money!” Stiles shot back.

“Look at what she’s wearing, dude,” she interrupted. Harley nodded, as if to back Lynn’s evidence up. “She didn’t get any of that at K-Mart.”

“What does that matter?”

“Money!” Harley repeated. 

Stiles threw his hands up in frustration, and Lynn laughed, turning to Scott to see how he was reacting to all of this. His eyes were trained on Alison as Lydia dragged her away down the hall. She thumped him, rolling her eyes at this new-found infatuation. “Dude, come on! She just got here!’ she exclaimed.

Scott came to with a look of annoyance, “What are you talking about?”

“You can’t already be this obsessed with her!’

“Yes he can,” Stiles said. “This is Scott we’re talking about.”

He had a point.

“Harley, are you gonna go to Lacrosse practice?” Lynn asked. 

The other girl grinned. “Wouldn’t miss that for anything. Bunch of sweaty guys going at each other with sticks? Worth it.”

Lynn couldn’t help laughing, especially since the look on Stiles face was absolutely priceless. Sometimes he needed to be knocked off his feet for a few seconds. Kept him humble.

“Good, let's walk together. Good luck, Scott,” she remembered to call out at the last moment as she slung her coat over her shoulders.

Harley kept up the lively chatter as they walked down to the field together, and Lynn was happy for the company. Erica almost never wanted to participate in after school activities. The girl had a serious lack of school spirit. 

They sank onto the bleachers and watched the beginnings of practice. It consisted mostly of a bunch of boys jogging about looking a little bored. That is, until Coach Finstock took the field, booming voice and spastic way of moving gathering their attention. Lynn watched as the man shoved a goalie’s stick at her brother, wincing in sympathy. Coach was really throwing him under the bus with that move.

Part of her wanted to look away from the second hand embarrassment she was sure to be witness to, but she needed to hold out. If poor Scott could deal, she’d try to as well, out of solidarity. 

Coach Finstock took the time to explain to scott that he was martyring himself for the sake of moral, and she couldn’t tell if that was worse or better. Probably best not to dwell on it, honestly. 

As her brother stumbled over to the goal, she leaned over to Harley and moaned. “I don’t think I can bear to watch this. God, I hope he doesn’t get seriously hurt!”

Harley laughed, but the whistle blew before she could reply. 

It didn’t help that he started off having what seemed like a panic attack, jerking back and forth. But, perhaps out of a shear luck, the ball caught off of his face guard. Did that  _ count  _ as luck. Laughter resounded across the field as her brother fell on his ass, and Lynn found herself joining in, even if it was with a heavy dose of guilt. 

“Hey, way to catch with your face McCall,” one of the larger, meaner jocks called from somewhere in the line up. Lynn winced, because that girl, Allison was watching, and she could just imagine how her brother felt. Must be humiliating. 

It took him a few moments to get back up, but when he did, the next player in line wasted no time, jogging towards the goal, cradling the ball in his stick. Lynn braced for the worst, ready to close her eyes at a moment's notice if Scott caught a blow to the face once more, but she had nothing to worry about. As if he was flipping a switch, Scott’s stick flashed out and caught the ball inches from the net. 

She let out an involuntary whoop, tinged more than a little with confusion and shock, sharing in the crowds reaction. Now,  _ that  _ was luck. 

Except it wasn’t, because all of a sudden, out of nowhere, her brother was  _ good _ . That or the goalie out there wasn’t her brother, which almost seemed more likely. Because he was catching every ball lobbed at him, with ease. She cheered louder than anyone, excited to see him do so well. That is, until Jackson stepped up. Lynn tensed, along with everyone else, as Jackson gave his best shot. 

When it landed in scott’s net instead of the goal,  Lynn whistled. Stiles was standing, cheering in his own, animated way, and so was Lydia Martin, oddly enough. No way she would be able to figure  _ that  _ out. 

She clapping enthusiastically, but enthusiasm gave way to something akin to cautious worry. Scott would be insulted to hear it, but seeing him do so well actually made her a little suspicious. If a dead body hadn’t been enough of a clue that something was going on, then Scott’s sudden superpowers were.

__________________________________________________________________

After practice, Lynn met Stiles and Scott at the jeep, but the pair of them looked odd. She knew there was something not right going on, but she didn’t want to.

It was Stiles who broke the silence. “Hey, uh, Scott and I have to stop by the preserve, Lynn. You mind waiting in the-”

“No way!’ she exclaimed indignantly. “Look, you guys think I don't know you went off last night?”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Scott asked, glancing at her through the rear-view. She rolled her eyes. 

“It wasn’t a big deal until you decided to leave me in the car like a dog. What are you doing, anyway? Still searching for the other half of that body?”

She mentioned it flippantly, trying to remind herself that it had only been a dream. Scott hadn’t found a body, just like Scott hadn’t been bitten by some giant, mangy beast.

“We’re doing secret guy stuff,” Stiles finally said, mouth set in a firm, stubborn line. She wanted to punch him.

“You better drop me off then, because there is no way i’d sit in the car and wait for you guys like some idiot.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan.”

Lynn huffed, irritated, because that was  _ not  _ what she had wanted to happen. But suddenly Stiles was taking a the turn away from the preserve, further towards their house. 

“Oh, whatever dude, don’t drop me off at home. I need to go to the hospital anyway!”

“What for?” Scott asked. “Mom’s at home.”

“Yeah, I know. She wants me to do volunteer in the long-term wing. They need to people to sit with the patients.”

“Why not get a job instead? She just wants you out of the house, right?” Stiles asked. 

“Because volunteering with sick people is way better, karmically.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Please, like the McCall family needs any help on that front. I mean, Scott helps cure sick pets, your mother is a life-saving nurse, don’t you think there should be one weak link?”

“Why do I need to be the weak link?” Lynn asked defensively.

He didn’t have a response to that though, just flailing his arms in a vague, confusing gesture until lynn sat back, satisfied that she’d won that argument. 

They dropped her off at the hospital, glancing conspiratorily at each other, and her hands itched to smack them both. She refrained, settling with a threat. “If anybody asks about you two, I’m telling them exactly where you went. And I’m gonna heavily suggest that you’re up to no good.”

Scott sent her a traitorous glance but she only shrugged. “That’s what you get for leaving me out of whatever the hell is going on in the woods.”

“Just like old times,” Stiles teased, but she turned away to hide her answering smile, heading into the hospital without glancing back again.

That had been the pattern when they were children. The boys were relatively good about keeping Lynn in the loop about things, letting her tag along as they played, but sometimes they left her out of their most irresponsible scheming, mostly because Scott didn’t want to get her in trouble. So, a sort of unspoken agreement popped up. If they were gonna leave her out, she was gonna tattle. Maybe not the greatest thing for her to do, but she knew how to get revenge.

Lynn was smiling when she entered the hospital, feeling a little nostalgic about those times. No overly weird nightmares or odd new athleticism to worry about. Just climbing trees and playing kickball. Ah, the good old days. 

Lynn shook the thoughts away as she wandered through the labyrinth that was Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. She was pretty familiar with it, but even that wasn’t enough to keep her from getting lost. She needed to be paying attention to signage and floor numbers. It was this alertness that helped her find the long-term wing, which was, surprisingly, it’s own little outbuilding. She had to pop outside of the hospital proper to get there.

When she did, Lynn was greeted by a small, red-headed woman in her mid-thirties. Her name tag read Jennifer. “Hi, I’m Lynn McCall. I, um, talked to someone on the phone about-”

“Volunteering? Yeah, they told me about you,” Jennifer said. She looked friendly enough, lipstick-covered lips spreading into a warm smile, so Lynn replied with her own tentative smile.

“Do I- I mean, can I start today or…”

“Of course. We’re really undermanned over here. Hospital admin figures it’s a pretty easy job, since most of the patients don’t do much. We don’t get many volunteers.”

“Yeah, my mom, shes’a nurse, and she heard you guys needed some extra hands. That’s why I’m here.”

“Is there something you need signed for school? I’ll have to wait until right before you leave,” Jennifer explained. 

Lynn smiled. “No, it’s good.”

The nurse's eyes lit up. “Awesome. Well, I’m gonna go grab you some scrubs. It’s just in case, you know, somebody has an accident. Wouldn’t want you to get it all over your clothes.”

“Oh! Thanks,” Lynn replied, trying to hide her newfound hesitation. She felt instant guilt at it. So what, what would one accident matter. These people were  _ sick _ . 

Jennifer hurried over to a storage closet and pulled out some light blue scrubs. Lynn grabbed them with a rushed thank you and ducked into the visitors bathroom to change, stuffing her own clothes into a pocket of her bookbag.

“Okay, all set,” she announced, giving Jennifer a smile and plopping her bookbag next to the front desk.

“I’ll make sure that stays safe,” Jennifer said.

“Thanks.”

“Alright Lynn. We’re a long term facility, which means that all the patients in this building have been here for a while. Most of them are catatonic. You know what that means right? Good. The rest of them, well some are on respirators that keep their lungs pumping. The fact is, most of these patients won’t get better. Sometimes that’s...hard for people to take. I know it was hard for me. Do you understand?”

The way the older woman was looking at her told Lynn that she was expecting some sort of answer, but those words are a little too heavy right. She can barely nod before the nurse is leading her down the hall. Suddenly she’s nervous. She can’t tell if she really wants to do this. But then Jennifer is stopping front of one of the doors, hand hovering over the knob.

“Most of the patients have frequent family visits, but Peter doesn’t. I think it’ll be good for him to have a new presence in the room, liven things up.”

Lynn nodded as Jennifer pushed the door open. It was dark in the room, and there was a man seated stiffly in a wheelchair facing away from them, towards the large, closed window that took up most of the opposite wall.

“This is Peter Hale. I’m sure you heard about the...accident at the Hale House ten years ago? Peter was trapped in the house. He’s been here ever since,” Jennifer explained, all of it in an undertone, as if she’d trying to make sure Peter can’t hear.

The nurse left her in the room with a few more words of encouragement. It took a few minutes of breathing before she could make herself move. When she did, it was to reach out and turn on the light. The sudden brightness made her eyes twinge, but it did give her the courage to step forward.

The man hadn’t even twitched when she approached, and his stillness made her feel a little safer. Breathing a little easier, Lynn laid by him to sit on his bed and get a better look at him. What she observed made her gasp.

Peter’s face was ravaged by flames on one side. His skin was puckered and pink, looking a little like it was melting. She felt the urge to reach out and touch it, to try to sooth hurt she wasn’t even sure he could feel. Suddenly she felt guilty for being afraid of him.  _ God _ , she’d struggled to even approach him. 

“I’m Lynn,” she began tentatively. Maybe if she could just speak to him, try to make him feel less alone… Jennifer had said he had no visitors. It was the least she could do. “And your name is Peter. It’s- it’s nice to meet you, you know. Great, really. I- I’ll probably be coming around a lot. See, my mom wanted me to start volunteering at the hospital, and this wing really needs help. Hence my presence here.”

She winced at the rambling, wondering, oddly enough, if she was irritating him. She glanced at him, trying to parse out any sort of expression, eyes purposefully skipping around his burns. She found no indication of any sort of emotion, and deflated a little. This might be harder than she thought it was.

“I- I started school today. It’s already that time of year. It feels like summer just started, you know…” her voice died for a moment. “I’m sure you don't really care about that though, right? God...I don’t even know what people your age think about. Taxes? The stock market?”

Lynn thought she saw a quirk, a twitch at the corner of his mouth, and she latched onto that. “Okay, okay, so maybe you can sort of respond, right? That’s great. It’s kind of like that movie. The once with Robin Williams and Robert De Niro? Except I don’t think- Well I’m not a doctor, right? I’m sorry. God, you probably haven’t even seen it…”

Another quirk of the lips. Maybe…

“There’s plenty of movies you haven’t seen, right? Like  _ Finding Nemo _ , or the rest of  _ Lord of the Rings _ trilogy. You probably  couldn’t keep up with  what’s happening on the internet either. I mean, twitter and...and what about music? I mean, I don’t really see you jamming out to Katy Perry but maybe I can bring some stuff in, right? Stuff you might have listened to, stuff that’s newer. Would you like that?”

There, there was another twitch. Perfect. So she had  _ something  _ to do, some way to keep herself occupied. 

She was carrying on, explaining some of the finer aspects of modern life, when Jennifer interrupted them.

“Hey, you came in pretty late today, so we’re gonna have to cut this short.”

Lynn stood from the bed, nodding in understanding. “Uh...bye Peter,” she said, feeling a little awkward, since he couldn’t answer, but following Jennifer out nonetheless. 

“So, how was your first visit?” Jennifer asked as Lynn gathered her bag up into her arms. 

“It was...good. Can i bring him some music to listen to? I was thinking-”

“That would be great Lynn. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

Lynn nodded, edging towards the door because suddenly she realized that it was getting dark and she was going to have to walk home tonight, which, not fun, to say the very least. That or convince Scott to leave work early and pick her up. Not very likely, to say the least.

“Can’t wait to see you again soon, Lynn. And I’m sure Peter will be thrilled to see you back soon as well.”

She nodded. “See you then.”

_________________________________________________________________

_ Running wasn’t enough. Her blood, hot in her veins, scalding, was urging her towards something more. Something harder, more primal, and she couldn’t resist the call. _

_ The forest around her was bright, even in the chill of the night, the moon doing more than well enough casting the trees in it’s silver light. Even better for hunting. Because she knew, somehow, that it’s what her blood was calling for. Her body wanted to sink it’s sharp, new teeth into giving flesh.  _

_ A growl broke the silence that had descended, which would have frightened her if it wasn’t her own growl, a sound that called out for release. Her blood was impatient for a kill. And she intended to sate it.  _

_ Catching the scent of some small animal- a rabbit, a part of her brain supplied, even if she shouldn’t know exactly what a rabbit smelled like- she, they, it, ripped forward, chasing down the little thing that had bolted as she ran through the forest. Her body ran in an odd loping gait, but it didn’t feel wrong. IN fact, it made her faster, made catching the rabbit even easier. _

_ When her claws met flesh, she held nothing back, sharp edges slicing through fur and muscle in one swipe. And suddenly the chase was over. Tearing into the meat like a starving man, she, whoever she was, ate her fill, even as she realized that it wasn’t enough, that she wanted- needed- more. _

Lynn woke with a gasp, heart stuttering, threatening to burst out of her chest. Once she realized where she was, who she was, she cursed the dream. This was hardly the first time she’d had it, but every time took her by surprise. 

It had been playing, over and over in her head, on a constant state of repetition, since the night she’d volunteered at the hospital. Each morning, she felt more tired, as if she’d gotten no rest at all.

She looked exhausted, with bags under her eyes and an unnatural pallor to her skin. Part of her was thinking about asking her mom for some sort of sedative, and an angrier part really wanted to know what was fucking with her sleep patterns. 

Lynn dragged herself through the day, her current state making school feel like even more of an ordeal than usual. It didn’t help that Erica seemed to be in an amazing mood, as if the universe was trying to offset her.

At lunch, when they hunkered down at a semi empty table by themselves, Erica tried to convince her to attend some ridiculous party. 

“It’s at Ellie’s house, and, well…”

“She hasn’t spoken to us once since school started up,” Lynn pointed out. “She’d dating Mark now, and is therefore, apparently, way out of our friend league.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t show up,” Erica pointed out. “Besides, we’re barely keeping our head above nerd-infused water. I mean, we’re floundering here!”

“Since when have you cared, dude? Besides, if you really think one party is gonna change anything, you’ve been watching too many shitty high school movies.”

Erica rolled her eyes, ready to argue further, but Lynn latched onto another point. “Flashing lights and loud music aren’t gonna help you out, Erica.”

Which was, in hindsight, a really shitty thing to say, but she really couldn’t keep the words from tumbling out, and once they’d been said, there was no unsaying them. She winced at the look on Erica’s face, the way she just shut down, pulling away and slumping her shoulders.

“Hey, dude, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

Erica remained silent. 

“I- we can go to the party, if you still want to…”

She shook her head, only once, but didn’t speak for the rest of the day.

She got this way sometimes. Her friend was really sensitive about her seizures, and didn’t like attention drawn to them. Erica wasn’t really mad at her, just...shut down for the time being. 

Still, a really selfish part of Lynn was glad to know she wouldn’t have to go to some stupid booze fest tonight.

Maybe she’d get a reprieve. 

After school, Lynn didn’t bother going to Scott’s practice. She had an inkling that his freak goalie skills weren’t so isolated. Besides, if he really made front-line, she was sure she’d hear about it  _ real  _ soon. 

She had no energy to finish her homework, so, in an unprecedented show of responsibility, Lynn crawled into bed and tried to make up some well-needed sleep. Maybe she could just get a few blessed moments of peace. 

  
  
  



	2. Second Chance at First Line

She never thought that _naivete_ was a weakness of hers. Lynn had always been pretty sure that she had a good, cynical head on her shoulders. So when she told herself that tonight would be the night when she'd get some real damn sleep, it had seemed like a pretty sure thing.

But she just wasn't very lucky these days.

The details of the dream drained out of her immediately upon waking up, and maybe that was a good thing, because the other dreams had practically traumatized her. Sometimes she could _still_ feel the poor little bunny rabbits struggling in her teeth. _Gag_.

It didn't help that Scott spent the entire weekend moping in his room. By sunday morning, she was done dealing with the sorry state of her brother, barging into his room and standing there with her hands on her hips until he finally peeked at her from among his nest of sheets and blankets. He squinted up at her through on eye.

"What?"

"More like what the _hell_?" she snapped. She was in absolutely no mood to deal with his shit right now.

"Lynn, what do you want?" Scott muttered, pulling himself into a sort of sitting position and scratching at his scalp.

"What's going on with you? What did you do in the woods the other day? And why are suddenly way better at lacrosse?"

He paled under her scrutiny, looking ready to lie, but Lynn sent him a hard look, making Scott visibly regroup.

"We...we went out looking for the other half of the body. And I _thought_ I found it. Freaked out, dropped my inhaler, almost got hit by a car. It was an...eventful night."

Lynn stared at him, throat clogging. Because _why_ should she know that much detail. He was leaving some things out, sure, but that could mean two things. One, there whole "twin connection" thing was finally working, and her dreams had embellish that night a little bit, or he was lying. She was surprised to find she wasn't sure which one to believe.

"The other day, Stiles drove me to look for the inhaler. We didn't bring you because Stiles didn't want to get you in trouble if his dad found us wandering the woods. And you know, I've been practicing all summer. I'm just...better."

She nodded, turning without another word. Because she knew then, she knew that he was lying. No one got that good over three months. That was...it was like he was a totally different person. Unfortunately, that also meant, somehow, that what she'd dreamed about, the huge, hulking creature, the bite, all of it was true. Except her brother couldn't be a-

 

Lynn couldn't bring herself to say the words she knew must be true, couldn't reconcile the idea of _werewolves_ with her world-view. They were fairy tales and nothing more than that.

Besides, she needed more evidence than a few dreams.

Overall, it was a poor excuse for a weekend, and Lynn was almost grateful that she could drown herself in mindless school work when Monday finally rolled around. Erica still wasn't talking to her, which was understandable, and Lynn was _determined_ not to talk to talk to Scott. It all added up to sidelong glances being passed during class and the rolling of eyes.

After school Lynn didn't even play with the idea of staying for Scott's practice. She'd been so surprised when Scott hadn't made a big deal about making first-line over the weekend, but then, he was just too busy hiding things to brag. With all of this anger barely contained under the surface, Lynn needed to vent, she needed to scream, or cry, or maybe just explain to _someone_ that Scott was hiding something from her. And when it was important, Scott _never_ hid things from her.

She couldn't though. Erica was still pissed at her, and she could just imagine the girls reaction to Lynn's theory that her twin brother was a freaking _werewolf_. She couldn't tell her mom either. But...

Lynn was already on her way to the hospital before she'd even reached the decision, the urge to see Peter again too strong to resist. Something about the poor, scarred man made her want to connect with him, even if he couldn't answer her. She hadn't thought to bring movies, but she had to phone, and a rather inoffensive collection of music, so she figured that was enough to fulfill her promise.

Jennifer sat behind the front desk, and she wondered if the woman ever got a day off. Probably few and far between, if what the nurse had said about being understaffed was accurate. She nodded to the older woman and ducked into the ladies room to change into the scrubs she'd gotten last time.

When she was ready she left her bag by the desk and Jennifer led her back to Peter's room.

"I gave him a shave today. He looks handsome, doesn't he?" the nurse asked smiling fondly down at her patient. Lynn nodded once, awkwardly, and sank onto the bed.

"Hey," she greeted him once the nurse had left.

She waited for a reply, more out of habit than anything, but none came. She took a deep breath and went on, trying to gather all the courage she could to get the next words out.

"Do you believe in werewolves?" Deep breath, in and out, and she continued on, "Because I don't- didn't. I didn't' but now I think I do. And I know, that sounds _crazy_ , because it is. I mean, Scott's not a werewolf..."

"But it makes sense," she whispered, putting her head in her hands. "It makes sense right? I mean, the sudden ability to play lacrosse without his inhaler, his lying, the _dreams_. It seems like a half-formed theory, but trust me, I've thought this through. Don't think I wouldn't be this exhausted if those dreams weren't... _something_ important."

She glanced up at him, scanning his face, and seeing his lips quirked up made her breath calm. It felt nice, being listened to, even if it might be a figment of her imagination. But who knew, right.

Suddenly lacking the proper words, Lynn stared at him. He was turned towards her this time, and she took the time she really look at him. When she'd first seen him, his burns had caught all of her attention, but now she could look past it. He was handsome, with a strong jaw and pretty eyes. He was also probably old enough to be her father, but he had potential to be really hot. It made her blush, and she was instantly flooded with guilt.

She felt suddenly crowded, uncomfortable with the direction her thoughts were headed, so she lay back on his bed, creating a little distance, and pulled her phone out. A few swipes later and the first few notes of a mindless pop song was playing. "I promised music," she explained to him, trying not to look at his face.

She didn't know she'd fallen asleep until she awoke, room swallowed in darkness. She gasped, bolting up flushwith embarrassment. Her phone was still making noise, the melody coming out a little slower, a little calmer, as she glanced around. Except something wasn't right. It took her much too long she realize that she was alone.

And she shouldn't _be_ alone. Peter should be-

The noise that left her mouth when a figure appeared at the end of the bed was a cross between and gasp and a shriek, and it left the man- it left _Peter_ , reeling. He stared at her with hooded blue eyes, tilting his head like an animal.

She scrambled off the bed completely, backing away. "How?" she cried out.

But he didn't answer. Instead, he stood there, studying her silently.

"How are you standing?" she pressed, but it gave her the same results. Silence, a piercing look.

Lynn edged around the wheelchair, the door her only destination. Because it was one thing to babble at Peter as he sat harmlessly in his wheelchair, but it was another when he was staring down at her like a predator at prey.

It was only when she went for the door handle that he moved, leaping towards her. He was on her before she could even turn the knob and pull, as if her escape attempt was the only signal he'd needed.

Strong arms yanked her away, and she found herself crying out for help.

"Don't move!" a voice, _his_ voice, deep and dark, growled into her ear. And then he threw her against the wall, and his teeth, perfectly straight, and normal and human were growing, shifting, and they were _way_ sharper than normal, and way too close to her skin.

She screamed at the first feeling of teeth piercing skin, hurtling away from her body and bolting up in the hospital bed, awakening for real this time, to an occupied wheelchair and hammering in her heart.

She almost couldn't bear to look at Peter after she became fully aware of what had just happened, she was so ashamed. She shoved her phone into her pocket and hurried from the room. She certainly couldn't look Jennifer in the eyes as she picked up her bag.

Lynn didn't know what exactly was wrong with her. She was projecting, probably, worried about the beast that had attacked her brother, angry and confused at being lied to. Because, apparently, from someone who now believed in werewolves, a man waking from a catatonic state just to freak her out wasn't that far fetched.

But she couldn't beat herself up forever. She tried to put it behind her as she speed walked home, making record time just to discover that both her mother and brother were home. She really didn't want to deal with either of them, her mother because of the questions she was sure to ask, and Scott... Well, she didn't want to speak to him for plenty of reasons.

It had been decided, long before she walked through the front door, that she'd ignore them both if it was at all possible. But then she entered and so her mother sitting alone at the dining room table, looking so small in her scrubs, as she heaped spaghetti onto her plate. And Lynn hadn't actually eaten lunch as much as she'd pushed it around on her tray.

'Good! We can have a family dinner before I leave for work!" her mom exclaimed. "For once. Scott!"

Lynn winced at the volume of her mother's voice, but sat down across from her nonetheless. She served herself and began eating without pause. They weren't much of a _wait until everyone is seated_ sort of family.

"How was the hospital?" her mother asked in between bites. Lynn tensed for a second, afraid that somehow her mother must know, until she realized that was ridiculous and forced herself to settle down.

"It's not much work. I just sit there with a patient who doesn't get any visitors."

"Hey," her mom began, the tone of her voice changing, turning into the voice she used when she wanted you to listen to the wisdom she was about to impart. "I've seen family involvement rapidly change a patient's outlook, for the good _and_ the bad. Stuff like that _matters_."

"I like it there," she acquiesced, blushing at her mother's praise.

"I'm glad."

"I'm not really hungry," Scott announced as he clambered down the stairs. It didn't stop him from getting a plate thought.

"We can see that," their mother commented, smiling across the table at him.

"How's the clinic?" lynn asked, the only thing she could ask to move the conversation along. It wasn't like talking about werewolves was proper conversation in front of their mom.

"Same as always."

"How's Allison?" their mother asked with a knowing smile.

"Mom," he replied, suddenly bashful.

"She'll be at the game Saturday, right?"

He nodded.

"I can't wait to see you playing first-line!"

Lynn turned to her mother, confused. "I thought you worked Saturday."

"I took it off," her mother replied waving a hand like it was nothing.

"But-"

" _But_ nothing. You two are _way_ too responsible to be sixteen years old. Let me worry about money okay? One shift won't put us in the poor house. Besides, it's the first time I'll get to see your brother play. I want to make a night of it."

"I was actually gonna try to get Erica to do something with me," Lynn told her.

"What? You're not going to the game?" her mother said.

Lynn shrugged. "Figured Scott wouldn't mind." But when she glanced at him his face had fallen. "But I'll go if it's such a big deal."

"Good. Now-" her mother glanced down at her watch, "I really need to get going. Glad we could spend _any_ time together tonight."

Once their mother had left, Scott and Lynn were alone at the dining room table. She kept expecting him to get up and escape, seeing as that seemed to be his M.O. as of late, but he didn't budge.

Finally, the silence became too much for her. "You must be pumped for the game."

Scott glanced away, "I'm not even sure I'm going to be able to play."

She stared at him. Lacrosse was one of the most important things in Scott's life. Being front-line, that was monumental. But he was so...unhappy about it. She couldn't believe he would pass up playing. "What do you mean?" she asked, baffled.

"I'm having...problems. Just, makes me think I might do too well out there."

Lynn wondered abruptly if this had anything to do with what he was, if he was a danger to other if he really tried against them. She suddenly felt the urge to ask him, to come right out and ask him if it was true, or if she was insane.

But maybe the answer he might give scared her, because she kept her mouth shut, letting the conversation die without asking for an explanation. She had enough to worry about without wondering why he wouldn't be playing on Saturday.

* * *

They went up to bed at the same time, parting ways in the hallway. Scott warned her that he was gonna be skyping Stiles, which was his way of saying that things were about to get kind of loud in there. She nodded but didn't respond.

What was she supposed to say anyway? It wasn't like she'd be getting any sleep tonight anyway. She'd _long_ given up on that.

She could at least get started tackling some of this homework. She hadn't touched any for a while, a combination of fear and exhaustion keeping her from really sitting down and working, but if she wasn't gonna get to sleep anytime soon, she could at least try to keep her grades up.

It was easy to ignore Stiles and Scott's mindless chatter, even if all the sound carried through the paper thin walls. She was used to drowning those two out. The words went in one ear and out the other, something about Jackson and Lacrosse. Nothing particularly wolfy.

That is, until she heard what sounded like a body slamming into the wall separating their two rooms. Gasping, Lynn scrambled out of her chair and dashed out into the hallway. Scott's door was open, giving her the perfect view of a rather large someone pressing Scott into his wall. For an instant it brought back the memory of her dream from earlier, of Peter's imaginary teeth on her neck, and she paled, but then she realized that this was real life.

"What the hell is going on!" she cried out.

The stranger whipped around, pinning her with his eyes, but Lynn didn't back down. Even if she really wanted to. Because this must be the beast, the creature from that night, and god, she must be looking it right in the eyes, and maybe she should look away but-

"Lynn this is- this is Derek. He's just a friend of a friend."

She turned angry eyes on him, ready to explode. "Scott, you have two friends. One of them is Stiles, and we all know you're his only friend. And the other is _me_."

"He works we Deaton at the clinic during the day!" Scott responded defensively.

"And he breaks into people's houses at night?" she asked, daring another look at the young man. He was staring at her, something almost...desperate in his gaze. She felt the sudden urge to hide. Suddenly confronting either of them seemed like a terrible idea.

She spun away, hoping against hope that it could end right there, but thinking that maybe that wasn't going to happen.

"Maybe you can talk some sense into your brother's head," Derek said, suddenly right behind her, gripping her arm- _hard_.

She tried to yank away but he wasn't having it.

He spun her around, showing their new position off to Scott and quirking an eyebrow. "Remember what I said, McCall."

And with that, he just let her go, leaping out the window and out onto the porch as if it was nothing, leaving the two of them in the room alone together.

Lynn couldn't look at her brother, didn't want to look at him. But once he began talking, she couldn't look away.

"I'm sorry, Lynn, sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but-"

"You don't have to-"

"Yes, do. And you need to believe me, because what I'm about to tell you is- it's insane... I'm a _werewolf_."

Lynn stared at him, heart stuttering in her chest. It was one thing to think the word, to tell someone who couldn't talk back, but to have Scott _admit_ it.

"How long?" she found herself asking, even though she knew how long. She knew exactly how long, in fact. Scott seemed almost as confused.

"You believe me?" he asked, sounding suspicious.

"What else explains all of this?" she snapped. "You've obviously been hiding things, and that Derek dude is _intense_ to say the least. What else explains the ridiculous knew lacrosse skills and the useless inhaler?"

"You sound like Stiles."

"What?"

"You sound like Stiles. He said the same things you said. And- and I should have told you even before I told him, Lynn. I mean, you're my sister-"

"It's alright. It's fine... But... what was he talking about? What was I supposed to talk sense to you about?"

"It's why I can't play in the game on Saturday. He thinks- and Stiles thinks, I won't be able to control myself."

She was quiet for a moment. " _Can_ you control yourself?"

Scott growled, running a hand through his hair. "I don't _know_. I get on the field and I just get so _angry_ , you know? But if I don't play, I'll lose Allison, and mom will be so disappointed. Everything is going perfect and I-"

"If you play, you're a danger to yourself and others. Is that a correct assumption?"

He nodded stiltedly.

"You can't play, Scott. I know it's not what you want to hear, but you can't."

His shoulders slumped and he threw himself across the bed. "I'll need to tell Coach tomorrow. With Jackson's shoulder hurt, he'll probably be pissed I want to sit out."

"Good luck with that," she said, voice heavy with sympathy. She was intimidated by Finstock when he was teaching. She couldn't imagine how terrible it was to be subjected to his yelling on the field. "And Scott... About Allison?"

He caught her brown eyes with his own, looking heart-broken. "If she likes you, and if she's worth anything, I don't think one game can change that."

* * *

"Hey, girl McCall," a voice carried from down the hallway. Lynn's head jerked up in it's direction, brows drawn in a scowl. "Yeah you."

Jackson Whittemore stalked towards her, face twisted into that stupid, arrogant grin he always seemed to be wearing. He was without the usual posse, which was out of the ordinary, but she supposed it was a measure he was taking so they wouldn't question why he was talking to _her_.

Why _was_ he talking to her?

"That's not my name," she growled, turning back to her locker.

"Technically, it is. But I'm not here to learn your pathetic life story. I'm here to talk about the other girl McCall."

"Oh, gosh, you're just _too_ funny," she snapped, digging through the mess of papers wedged into her math book for her homework.

"I know," he replied sharply. "What the hell is Scott's problem. He screws up my shoulder and then decides he isn't going to play?"

"Guess so."

"Why? Doesn't want anyone finding out he's getting a boost?" Jackson snarled

She turned to stare at him. "Scott's _not_ doing steroids, you moron."

"You'd better watch how you talk to me," Jackson warned, eyes dark and angry.

"Or _what_?" she asked. "Are you going to hit me?' she goaded, whipping around and putting the math book between them, because at some point in this ridiculous conversation he'd gotten way too close to her.

He faltered at her question. She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips, waiting for a response. Finally, he worked up to it, each word coming out biting with anger. "I _will_ find out what's going on with your brother."

The encounter left her feeling shaken, no matter how well she may or may not have handled it. Her hands shook as she gathered her things. It hit her, suddenly, that she would need to help her brother keep this secret. It was her responsibility now, as much as it was his and Stiles. It could be her way of protecting him. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Making the long march to economics, Lynn tried to calm herself down. It wasn't as simple as making sure no one at school knew Scott was a werewolf. No. There was also this Derek boy to worry about. She knew, logically, that he was probably the thing that had bitten Scott, but for whatever reason, that didn't seem right to her. Maybe it was a gut feeling, but she just sensed that the beast was still unknown to them.

Stiles was already seated when Lynn walked into class, and she latched onto his presence excitedly.

"Did Scott tell you about last night?" Lynn asked, ready to ask a few questions. Because while Scott had finally opened up to her, he hadn't explained _everything_.

Stiles glanced at her, eyes wide. "What, you mean when he told you he was a freaking werewolf, yeah, yeah he let me know."

She reeled back, surprised at his anger. "Why shouldn't I know? I mean, we only shared a _womb_. Frankly, he should have told me as soon as it happened."

"The more people who know, the less likely we can keep it a secret."

"Do I look like I'm telling everyone who'll listen that _my brother is a werewolf_?" she asked, leaning forward with the last few words to hiss them as quietly as possible.

Stiles looked suddenly mollified, like he realized how insulting it was for him to just assume she'd be the one to expose her brother. As if she would _ever_ risk hurting him.

"I actually wanted to ask you something," she said, letting him know with the tone change that she wasn't angry. "Who's Derek?"

"Derek's the one who bit Scott...we _think_. And he also might have killed the body from the woods."

"Does your dad suspect him? Are you doing _anything_ to try and get him arrested?"

"I- we don't have any evidence. Not yet."

"Alright, let's get down to business," Finstock shouted from the other end of the classroom, bursting the bubble of silence between the two co-conspirators. She rolled her eyes, not really ready to deal with the teacher's unique way of lecturing.

"You'd better _find_ some evidence," she whispered as class began. Stiles shot her an eye roll, but didn't reply.

* * *

Scott's explanation of what they'd found at the Hale House was frantic and almost tearful. Lynn struggled to parse together the meaning behind the words "Wolf and then girl. And her eyes were just _dead_." Once she had, it took all of her willpower not to find him and try to calm him down. But Stiles had already started driving away from the scene in case Derek got back and decided to kill them without another thought.

She'd already had enough shocks for the night. The fact that violent, mysterious Derek was also Derek Hale had been _enlightening_. No wonder the young man was so freaking broody. His entire family had all died- minus Peter, but it was hard to count him among the living. Lynn almost wanted to reveal the poor, burned man sitting in a dark wing of the hospital to her brother, but something had stopped her. Whether it was the guilty after-effects of the dream she'd had, or her assurance that the man was anything but dangerous, she kept her mouth shut.

Once Scott and Stiles got back to the house, Lynn sat them down on Scott's bed, waiting for an explanation. "Give me all of the details," she ordered.

"The scent was the same as in the morgue, same as the bottom half of the body, but it was also _different_. I don't know how to describe it. Me and Stiles waited until Derek had left, and then we started digging where I smelled the blood. But it wasn't the other half of the body- or a human body at all. It was a wolf."

"Except then it wasn't," Stiles interrupted. "Because I tried to pick this flower- wolfsbane- and it was attached to all of this strong-"

"And when it was all the way up, it wasn't a wolf anymore," Scott finished, head falling to his hands.

"So she was like you? A werewolf?"

"Yeah."

Lynn sat back, staring at the two of them hard, mind working a mile a minute. She could tell that they were thinking just as hard as she was.

"We need to call my dad," Stiles said.

"And you still need to get me through tomorrow's game," Scott reminded him.

"I still don't think you should play," Lynn pointed out, but Scott just shrugged.

The atmosphere in the room was tense, none of them willing to budge on their respective issues, none willing to break the silence. But something needed to happen, because wherever Derek was, people were in danger.

"Stiles...call your dad. We're going back to the Hale House," Scott said, standing up.

"I want to come," Lynn said, standing with him and daring him to say no. When they were younger, it was easy for Lynn to win arguments just by staring at her brother, because he claimed that she looked like their mother when she was angry. But she had no such luck tonight.

"No. It's too dangerous. What is Stiles's dad doesn't show and Derek attacks? What if the body's gone when we get there and we get in trouble for being on private property?"

"Scott!"

"No, Lynn. I didn't want to drag you into this in the first place, okay? I just- I need you to stay here, alright?"

She nodded, glaring at him mutinously. But when the boys climbed into the jeep, Lynn stayed behind, true to her word.

* * *

Lynn was so distracted by what had been happening recently to really watch the game. Finding a werewolf body and Scott's going AWOL being the two big things, she wasn't exactly inclined to cheer anyone on at the moment. In fact, she'd even tried once more to stay home, but her mother was having none of it.

It was a bit of an ordeal, the game starting out poorly for Scott, to say the least. Every move that Jackson made set her teeth on edge, remembering her encounter with him the other day. But for all that he was an ass, she had to admit that he was _good_ , even with a wounded shoulder.

Honestly, it was frustrating. After years of her brother's obsession, Lynn had developed a healthy understanding for lacrosse. She could recognize when his teammates blatantly refused to pass to Scott. She knew Jackson must have a hand in it, her suspicions were confirmed when he tackled him in order to get the ball. That was hard to cheer about, even once the ball went into the net. Her mother stood reluctantly, but Lynn didn't even bother clapping.

But halftime brought a sudden change. As if a switch had been flipped, suddenly things were looking up. The next two goals were his, the last one particularly memorable.

"Did the other team just pass him the ball?" her mother exclaimed.

If that wasn't amazing enough, the final goal, the point that put them in the lead, was Scott's, going in just as the final buzzer ran. The stands erupted with excitement, Lynn swept along by the cheering, found herself screaming her brother's name. But when they got to the field, he was nowhere to be found.

She felt it in the pit of her stomach, concern and fear. Because for all that he'd to9ld her he could control himself...

Maybe he _couldn't_.


	3. Magic Bullet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, action packed chapter. Enjoy.

Consciousness came to her in increments. Rising from black depths, Lynn tried to orientate herself without all of her senses. She was...cold. And she couldn’t move, but her eyes were stuck shut and she couldn’t hear over the pounding in her head. The pain made her moan aloud. 

“Awake?” a growling voice asked, too close for comfort. She yelped, prying her eyes open. But she could see nothing, her vision blurry in the weak light. 

“Who are you? Derek?” she groaned. It had to be. Derek was the one who’d killed the bus driver, the one who’d turned Scott. And-

A gruff, inhuman laugh pierced through her thoughts. “Is that who you think I am? Hasn’t he told you and your upstanding brother that there’s another out there? I’m the  _ Alpha _ .”

She yelped, feeling the cold press of a tongue against the throat. She struggled, trying even harder to clear her eyes. Not knowing where she was- it made her situation even worse than before. All she knew was that she was bound to a chair, ropes biting into her waist, her wrists, and her ankles. 

The tongue didn’t stop, and it sent goosebumps over her skin. “Please, stop. I-I don’t know what you want!”

Hot, wet breath swept over her throat, that same low chuckle sending her heart beating too fast. “I want to know why you’re special. Why the bite affected  _ you  _ along with your brother.”

“I don’t know.  _ Please _ , I don’t know!”

“Of  _ course  _ you don’t. But if the connection goes both ways…” The beast hummed, and the sound shivered over her skin.

“What?” She held her breath waiting for an answer. If he hoped to hurt Scott in anyway-

She’d do all she could to stop him, but the dreadful knowledge that he could do whatever he wanted, no matter what she did made her slump in her bonds. 

“I need your brother. I need him in my pack, to make me stronger. I need your help to make that happen.”

“He won’t help you. Not if you want to  _ kill  _ people. Scott’s not- He’s too good.”

“Maybe I picked the wrong twin?” he asked, voice mocking.

Her eyes, beginning, slowly, to focus,  turned to the shape crouching at her side. “ _ No _ .”

“I’m not sure how true that is.”

“Where am I?” she breathed, ignoring his taunting in favor of getting her bearings.

“Tucked away where your brother can’t interfere,” 

She wanted to scream in frustration. “I don’t want to play games.”

A growl sounded on her other side, the Alpha moving faster than she could track with her eyes. “No games at all? I’ll let you win…”

“Please, just- just tell me what you’re going to  _ do  _ with me?”

“Perhaps Scott would be easier to persuade if you were the one doing it? It’s not the best time now but… I could  _ use  _ you.”

She let out a shaking breath, trying not to cry. “I won’t help you make Scott a killer. I won’t. You’ll have to kill me.”

“I don’t  _ want  _ to kill you, Lynn. You think I’m a simple killer, but I’m giving these people what they deserve.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look into their past. You’re a clever girl.”

“Just tell me!”

“Stubborn girl too. And stubborn, unhelpful girls need to be punished, don’t they?” his snout pressed into her neck and she yelped. She could see him clearly now, his piercing red eyes and his twisted features. He was terrifying. 

“Please don’t!”

“Didn’t you just  _ tell  _ me to kill you? Make up your mind.”

“That’s not what you were-” she began, but then her cheeks flamed. She thought he was going to  _ touch  _ her. 

“Get your mind out of the gutter, little girl. I was thinking about a time out. How about I leave you here until sundown.”

“What! No- No. I don’t even know where we are!”

“We’re in the Hale House. I think Scott will happen across you eventually...don’t you?”

“No!”

“Goodbye, Lynn.”

She shrieked after he loped away, glancing around wildly, trying to take in any details she could. Her struggles against her bonds renewed in desperation. She screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping maybe- maybe someone would hear her, and come to her rescue. 

Until she realized just who might be wandering around the preserve. Chris Argent and his cronies would have a few questions for her if they found her here. Number one: why hadn’t the beast just killed her? And she had  _ no  _ intention of revealing her brother’s new species to a bunch of murderers. 

Her screams died and she settled for sobbing because she needed to ease the tension in her chest, the fear that made her head heavy.

* * *

 

Hours later, arms aching and wrist rubbed raw by the rope, Lynn started really studying her surroundings. Her eyes passed over the burns and the damage that being abandoned had done to the house, trying to see past it, to the house it once was.

It had to have been beautiful. Large as it was, she could barely imagine how such a terrible thing could have happened. There had been children in this house, people who’d probably never hurt anyone in their entire lives, and never would have. 

People like Scott. 

Scott had such immense power, and so little control of it. She was surprised he hadn’t hurt anyone yet. But really, what could she have expected? Her brother was the best person she knew. 

When the aftermath of her parent’s divorce had finally hit her, after her mother had stopped crying, and her brother had gone back to normal daily life, back to fooling around with Stiles he helped her. Everyone just assumed she was stronger than Scott, that she was better,and she  could handle things more readily because she didn’t wear her heart on her sleeves like he did, but Lynn had  _ still  _ been dealing with the abandonment. Scott understood. And Scott had helped her through it. Of course they’d drifted somewhat apart during puberty, but it was never less than amicable between them.

God, if anyone hurt Scott… He was part of her, as important as her lungs. They’d never ever been anything other than as close as two people could be. There was some distance during puberty, but nothing drastic. She didn’t know what she’d do if he died. She’d read once that 50 percent of bereaved twins die within two years of their twins.

That was something she could wrap her head around.

* * *

 

Hours after that- Lynn was guessing it had to be about seven o’clock- she was ready to kill.

She’d been missing for hours-  _ hours _ . He hadn’t seen her since last night, and he didn’t think there was anything amiss? 

When she got her hands around her brother, she was going to choke the living daylight out of them. If it was Allison who was missing all day, she was sure her brother would be wracked with concern. But here she was, getting a time-out from the crazy fucking wolf-man who’d been terrifying the entire town for weeks, and her brother was nowhere to be found. 

Warm blood was dripping between her fingers, caused by the increased struggling that her angry thoughts were eliciting from her. Her stomach ached from the compression of her bindings, and she was unbelievably hungry and thirsty. She was beyond uncomfortable. It was all she could do not to fall asleep. 

Until she did, cursing herself the entire time

* * *

 

Lynn woke up to footsteps. Taking a gasping breath, she tugged at the ropes, wincing at the burning pain that traveled up her arms. Maybe her time out was over. But if she had to be near that beast once more, she knew that she’d do anything for him. Anything, because her head head and she felt dizzy, and she was beyong starving. 

It helped that she was also as furious with Scott as she’d ever been. The moon was high in the school and the house was dark. She’d been in this damn chair for an entire day. She’d missed school, and hadn’t talked to either Scott or Stiles since the nigth before. She wondered if they were looking for her at all.

“I helped you, so you better help me!”

Her heart skipped. Scott.

“Help! Help me!” she choked out, because she’d been crying all day and her throat was raw. She could barely speak. 

“Lynn?”

Her brother burst through the front door an instant later, head whipping towards her whimpering. He rushed forward, falling before her on his knees.

“Have you been- god, Lynn, have you been here all day?” he asked, starign up at her.

Derek came strolling in a few moments later, eyes widening at the sight of her.

She nodded, blinking blearily down at him through the big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. 

“I- God. I’m so sorry. I thought maybe you’d skipped school cause you were still pissed. And Derek got shot last night and-”

“It was the Alpha,” she croaked. “He was here.”

Scott turned to look at Derek. The older beta nodded his head, taking a deep whiff of the room at large, before stepping a few feet forward and scenting her. She flinched away, letting out a small squeak of fear.

“Lynn.”

“Why didn’t- I’ve been here for hours!” she tried to shout. It came out instead as a pained whisper.

“I’m sorry!’ he exclaimed, reachign forward with his claws to part the ropes around her ankles and moving on to the ones around her waist. When she still didn’t move he sniffed. “Are you bleeding?”

“My hands,” she grunted. He rose, circling around her. She heard him wince and reach down to carefully pry her otu of the ropes.

She stood on shaky legs, eyeing the pair of them warily. “I should be priority,” she told him. She didn’t need to be kind right now. She was bitter, and angry, and her wrists  _ really  _ hurt. “I-I’m done with this. I don’t want to- I don’t want to hear about this bullshit anymore. I refuse to be collateral damage.”

“Lynn, I’m  _ sorry _ . I didn’t know.”

“Because I didn’t even cross your mind!  I was the  _ last  _ thing you thought about today. I bet the only reason you didn’t notice was because I wasn’t at home waiting for you to feed me half the truth!’

“I’ve told you everything!’ he exclaimed, lookign suddenly defensive. But he had no right to be defensive. 

“Only after you had to.”

Derek seemed to be uncomfortable, standing apart from the pair. She didn’t care. Rounding on him, she glared. “You run him all around town, pretending to help him. But i don’t trust you. Don’t think you’re safe.”

With that, she turned on her heel. 


End file.
